Hell Hath Frozen Over
by Magali1
Summary: Tim grows stressed when he tries to find a place to study. Silly fic.


**A/N:** Enjoy this silly fic. :)

* * *

It was too loud.

Tim was stretched out over the table, his forehead smashed into the textbook crease. There was some sort of banging going on from the other room. "What are you doing?" he yelled, his voice muffled by the pages of the book and the notebook paper scattered around him.

Billy stuck his head out of the next room. "I'm trying to get this stupid new bed together for you. God you complain a lot."

"Believe it or not Billy I'm actually attempting to study!" Tim yelled, sitting up. He lifted his eyebrows at Billy's stunned expression. "I know, me, studying, can you believe it? Hell's frozen over. Pigs are flying and fat ladies are singing."

"What are you talking about? I think studying is making you crazy and you should quit."

Yeah, that wasn't happening, because for once in his life he wanted to do alright on a damn test. He grabbed the books, paper, pens, markers, whatever the hell was scattered on the kitchen table and flung them into his backpack, throwing the strap over his shoulder and putting his sunglasses on. "I'm going to the school."

"Whatever."

* * *

The fieldhouse was blessedly quiet, since it was a Saturday. He leaned back against the wall on one of the training room tables, his ankles crossed, the textbook in front of him and the notebook on his knee. He narrowed his eyes, trying to read it, but…it was too quiet.

He lifted his head, wondering if he needed music or something. He went over to the radio on the counter, flicking it on. Slammin' Sammy Meade was talking about Friday night. He sighed. That wasn't going to work.

It was still too loud.

He heard a sound, a door closing, and looked up, frowning when Mac McGill walked into the training room. "Coach? What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here Tim?"

"Trying to study."

"Oh, weird place to study."

Tim felt his eyes start to water. He sniffed and sneezed. He sneezed again. Reaching to wipe at his now itchy eyes, he nodded towards Mac. "You have flowers here sir?"

"Why are you allergic?"

"Yeah." Flowers and cats. The only wimpy qualities Tim felt he had. He sneezed again, pushing his books into his bag and hopping off the table walking out of the room and seeing tulips sitting in the coach's office. "Tulips, sir?"

"Susan likes them."

"Oh, okay. See you later Coach."

"Have a good evening Tim."

"You too sir."

Tim left the field house and sat in his truck for a minute, putting it into gear and heading out of Dillon, figuring on the next place he could probably go.

* * *

"Timmy if you need anything else sweetheart…"

"Thanks Ms. Collette, but I'm fine," he said, smiling a little at Angela, who had been harping on him for the last hour. He barely had the damn chapter finished. He smiled again at her, waiting for her to go before he hit his head into the book again.

He sat back up, taking a long breath and rearranging his notebook and pens and pencils, biting down on a marker as he started to scribble out the functions in the book. He was almost done with the few he knew he had to practice when the back door opened.

"What in the hell are you doing here Tim?"

Damnit.

He looked up, frowning at Tyra. "What are you doing here?"

"It's my house!"

"Technically it's your mom's house and she's letting me study here so…."

"Studying? You're studying?" Tyra laughed. "I never thought I'd live to see the day."

"Well congratulations, you have, now will you let me finish?"

"Oh I don't think so. I have to do some work and this is my house so I get dibs first. You have to go."

He scowled at her. "Really Tyra? That's how you're still going to be?"

"Out."

He scowled; getting his books and notebooks, leaving Tyra's house and getting back into his truck. He frowned for a second before putting it into gear, heading back into Dillon.

* * *

"I can't thank you enough Mrs. Saracen for letting me study here."

"Oh Tim, it is no trouble, no trouble, let me get you some cake," Lorraine said, bustling out of Matt's room and into the kitchen.

Tim released a sigh of relief when she forgot she was getting him cake. He could finally study in quiet, at a desk, with just the sounds of Lorraine talking to Shelby and the TV. It was perfect. He also had to promise both of them he'd mow the lawn for the next three weeks, paint the house, and clean the gutters.

He was almost done with the second chapter when the front door opened.

"Matthew!"

Damn! Tim looked up the minute Matt walked into the room, followed by Julie. "What are you doing here Riggins?"

"What are you doing here?" he shot back. He looked over his shoulder, waving. "Hey Julie."

"Tim. I guess I have the same question as Matt." Julie looked down at the books, laughing. "Are you studying? Seriously?"

"Serious as a heart attack." Which he was now contemplating having because he was going to fail this test if he didn't study and lo and behold he wanted to pass. He had to pass. He gathered his books back up, frowning at the both of them. "Why are you guys here, shouldn't you be in…"

"What did you promise my Grandma?" Matt asked, his eyes narrowed.

He rolled his. "Yardwork."

"Grandma I'm supposed to do the yardwork for you!"

"Matthew I like looking Tim a bit more than I like looking at you, not that I don't love you, but Tim is very handsome, why weren't you better friends with him? He's much nicer to look at than your funny little friend."

"Grandma that's Landry and he's my best friend and it isn't very nice to say things like that."

"Matthew this is my house and I will say what I want. Tim are you leaving us?"

"Sorry Mrs. Saracen, I have to study."

"Good luck sweetheart!"

Tim left, slamming the door behind him and jogging out to his truck. He put his bag in the back, frowning for a second. The door opened again and he looked over his shoulder. "Julie."

"You know the best places for me to study were actually at the football field or at Fran's. Just enough noise," Julie called out from the open screen door. She shrugged. "Just a thought, if you're serious about it."

More than serious, he thought, climbing up into the truck.

* * *

Turned out that the football field was where the marching band was practicing that afternoon, then there was Fran's where it was way too loud for his liking, and then he actually tried the library, but all the cheerleaders were busy giggling and pointing at him.

So he was stuck with one of the last people he wanted around him while he was trying to do this.

He could practically kill Landry right about now.

"You know if you do the x plus y over z function and then multiply it by…"

"Landry," he mumbled into the crease of the book. "Shut. Up."

"That's not very nice, I'm trying to help you, and you realize I was Mathlete of the Year for two years running, right?"

"That's because you submitted yourself and no one else did," Tim exclaimed. He sat back up, pushing the bottom of his palms into his eyes. "So could you please shut up while I try to study?"

"Tim this is my house."

"Why are you here anyway?"

Landry narrowed his eyes on him. "Have you been to Tyra's to try and study?"

"Believe it or not, yeah and that didn't work out too well. She kicked me out."

"I don't blame her."

"Seriously?" He held his hands out, pens in each one, a pencil behind both ears. "I am trying to study! You're supposed to help by being quiet!"

"Why are you studying anyway?"

"Because I want to pass a test, hard as it is to believe."

"Why now?"

Tim threw the book shut, his lips pressed tightly together. He glared at Landry, because punching him would feel good but he knew it would distract him from the task at hand. He put his backpack over his shoulder. "Forget it."

"You know you could power through the distraction."

"I could kill you, but that wouldn't help." Tim left Landry to his own devices, getting back up into his truck.

Where the hell was he supposed to go now?

* * *

It was almost six in the evening, so he went back to his house, opening the front door and stepping inside, going straight to his room and closing the door. He hit his head back on the pillows of his bed, closing his eyes.

Maybe he'd take a nap.

He sat back up and reached for his books, when he heard a loud bang and then tons of chattering. That was it.

He snapped.

He ran out of the room, flew down the stairs and into the living room, yelling at the top of his lungs. "What the hell I am trying to study!"

He froze, looking around at the commotion. "What is going on?" he asked. He dropped his arms to his sides. "Mrs. Taylor? Coach?"

He looked around. Was there a party he wasn't aware of or something? Landry had somehow shown up and was talking with Tyra. Buddy was in the corner talking with Billy. Mindy was yelling about some thing or another and Matt and Julie were talking on the couch, while Mrs. Taylor and Coach Taylor were fussing over something at the table.

This was weird.

"Tim!" Mrs. Taylor rushed over, kissing both of his cheeks and grinning. "I hear you're trying to study, you know I can give you some really great study tips that sort of cleanse the mind and eliminate all the distractions, come on, they're breathing exercises."

He closed his eyes. He was trying to focus on some breathing exercises right now. Namely, not to kill everyone in this entire room. "Thank you Mrs. Taylor, but I think I'll just…go to my room." He frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh Billy called us."

That didn't really answer things, but he didn't want to question it. He just turned around and went back to his room. He sat on the bed for a minute and continued to hear tons of noise. That was it.

He flew out of his room once more. "I'm done with this!" he yelled, beginning to point, probably looking like a madman but he didn't care. He never raised his voice. He hardly ever spoke, but this…he was pissed.

He threw his hands in the air. "The one time I'm trying to study , the one time I want to pass a test, a serious test, a test that actually matters and that is the time that you…" he glared at Billy. "Want to fix something for me, which is never by the way." He pointed at Tyra. "You show up and still can't get over the fact that I didn't choose you!"

He rounded on Matt and Julie. "You guys show up out of nowhere when you don't even live here anymore!" Now it was Landry's turn. "You are just damn annoying and need to get over the fact that Tyra doesn't love you!"

And then he just yelled for all of them. "And I come back to my house where for some reason all of you decided to have a party when I am trying to study!" He looked down at the few little kids who were just peering up at him. "You guys are fine, because you never do anything wrong."

The last person, the only person who should understand and there she was, standing there with the rest of them, just smiling at him.

He pointed at Lyla. "And you! You always want to help me with this crap and you're nowhere to be found, why the hell are you nowhere to be found!?"

Lyla just smiled, her arms crossed over her chest. She cocked her head, an eyebrow lifted. "You done?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Lyla smiled at Buddy, who was standing in front of a light switch. Tim noticed suddenly that the entire house was relatively dark. She tugged his hand, leading him out onto the porch. Buddy flicked the light and a ton of tiny little Christmas lights lit up the backyard.

Including a sign strung between two trees that said "Congratulations Tim!"

"What is this?" he whispered.

"It's your graduation party," Lyla said, rising on her toes to kiss his cheek.

One of the little kids, his daughter, appeared at his knee. "You're done with school Daddy!" she giggled, holding up her arms.

Tim lifted Sophie up onto his hip, tapping her nose. "Not really." He gaped, turning around at everyone who was just smiling. "You were in on it? All of it?"

"Lyla told us we had to keep you on your toes," Billy laughed. He shrugged. "Figured you were already nervous enough you'd find nowhere that was good enough to study."

That was kind of true.

He looked back at Lyla, who was just laughing and smiling. "Why'd you do this?"

"Because, you're graduating Tim. No matter how you do on this next test Monday, you are going to graduate." Lyla laughed again. "And I'm very proud of you. Besides, a lot of this was Coach and Mrs. Taylor."

He looked back at the both of them, smiling. "Really?" he asked.

"Tim, you're going to do fine and believe me, you're making yourself more nervous over this because it is the final test," Tami said, walking over to squeeze his wrist. "And I know you will do great and as Dean of the Undergraduate Studies department for the University of Texas at Austin, I will tell you for a fact that you have a diploma and you will get it in the next three weeks at graduation, along with everyone else."

He turned to Lyla, smiling. "Really?"

"It only took you over 10 years," Lyla said, kissing him lightly. She smiled. "Congratulations baby. I knew you could do it."

He smiled, even when everyone came up to clap his shoulder, hug, kiss, and everything else. Within minutes it felt like everyone in Dillon was in his backyard. He stood off to the side, holding Sophie's hands as she danced around in front of him, trying to show off her ballet skills.

"Look at me Daddy!"

"I am," he said, although he wasn't. He'd seen her dance moves like 1000 times. He just kept looking at the damn sign.

"You alright son?"

He looked sideways, smiling. "Hey Coach. You know you didn't have to come out here for…"

"Yes we did." Eric smiled at him again. He nodded to Sophie. "Nice moves there darlin'."

"Thank you Uncle Coach," Sophie said, transferring her hands to his. "Look at me dance."

"You know this isn't set in stone, I do have that last final," Tim said. It was also in the class he hated most. An elective course, but it was all about geometry. He hated geometry. It felt personal, this damn last test. If he beat it, he really was done.

Or maybe he was nervous, like Lyla said.

Eric patted his shoulder. "You'll do fine. It took you 10 years, but you have a degree, and even if you're not going to use it because you already have a well-paying job in your chosen field and you have your house and your family, one day when this little gal here…" he gestured to Sophie, who was ignoring the both of them. "Is ready to give up, you can tell her for certain she can do it because you did."

Yeah, he supposed so. "Thanks Coach."

"No problem Tim." Eric looked down at Sophie, who was peering up, curiously. "You proud of your dad?"

"No."

Tim rolled his eyes. "Thanks Sophie."

"No problem Daddy. I'm smarter than you, Mommy says."

"Mommy says, so it must be true, let me tell you something, Mommy isn't as smart as she says, you know how she knows everything, well…." Tim narrowed his eyes at his daughter. "Go ask her what a shovel pass second option play in the nickel package is."

"Okay!" Sophie was off running to Lyla.

Eric frowned, glancing sideways. "There's no such thing, you just said random football words."

Tim grinned. "I know. But Lyla doesn't."

"You both constantly keep each other on your toes don't you?"

"Only way to deal with each other sir. Otherwise we'd never have gotten married." Tim laughed, walking away from Coach and going to Lyla, sweeping her up into his arms. "I love you, but I really should go study."

"Good luck with that," Lyla said, kissing him lightly. She frowned. "There's no such thing as a shovel pass second option play in the nickel package is there?"

Tim shrugged, smiling innocently. "I don't know. Why don't you tell me?" He set her back on her feet, disappearing back into the house and getting his geometry book, going upstairs to his room and sitting on the bed, reading.

Four days later he checked his score on the computer, whooping loudly.

"I don't know what to do now," Buddy said that evening at the bar as everyone was celebrating. He shook his head, sighing. "Tim Riggins is a college graduate."

Tim threw back a shot, with Lyla hanging on to his neck, laughing. "Better believe it."

"I think the ground is cold," Buddy just mumbled, shaking his head again.

Yeah, Tim thought, his arm going back around Lyla, kissing her hard. Hell probably had frozen over, but he didn't really care.

_**THE END**_


End file.
